Page 14 of Quarter Miles (Runaway 3)

She swerved to miss them. I swerved to kill. The pests would be running around from now until the end of summer, digging holes in our pastures for the cattle and horses to step in.

The turnoff to our place approached and Katherine slowed the car, easing us off the highway. Damn it. She wasn’t making this easy.

Well, she wasn’t the only stubborn one in the car. She could park at home for hours and I’d just take my nap until she realized, whether she liked it or not, I was going on this trip.

She wasn’t the only one who craved a spontaneous vacation. These past few months had been exhausting. Planning at the training facility was going well and the construction crew was slated to break ground within the month.

But working with family—my family in particular—was tough. Everyone had a different opinion.

We need twenty stables. No, we need thirty.

We should hire a separate staff. No, we should utilize the existing hands.

Let’s only buy colts this first year. No, we should buy fillies.

There were days when I held up my hands, said fuck it and disappeared to the arena to work with the horses.

Ultimately, how we ran the facility was my decision. But I wanted to let my family feel comfortable expressing their point of view. I valued their experience and input, even when it was overwhelming.

A vacation to let it breathe for a week or two sounded damn nice.

I wasn’t sure how Easton did it with the ranch. No wonder he’d been so frustrated these past few years. If not for Gemma, he might have blown a fuse.

But I didn’t have a beautiful woman to come home to at night. Well, except Kat. When I needed to vent, she’d always lend an ear. She’d find a way to make me laugh.

Not that I wasn’t grateful for this new opportunity. The training facility had been Easton’s idea. He knew my talents with horses were wasted on guest excursions and routine ranch work. When this facility opened, if we could just get it running, it would be a dream.

But we had to get it open first.

A road trip with my best friend might save my sanity.

“So, um . . . what happened with Dany?” she asked, the car’s wheels crunching on the gravel road as we rolled past a green meadow on the way home.

“We got in the stupidest damn fight.” I shook my head, still unable to believe we’d gone from I adore you, Cash to I fucking hate you, asshole in a span of ten minutes.

“About what?”

“You.” I blew out a deep breath. “She didn’t like that we lived together.”

Kat looked over, her mouth falling open. “Why? Did she, uh, say something specific?”

“No. Just that she didn’t like that I had a female roommate.”

“Oh.”

“Whatever.” She wasn’t who I’d thought she was anyway. It was no loss.

I’d invited Dany over on Friday night but she’d muttered some comment about not being Kat’s biggest fan. How could anyone not like Kat? She was awesome. Funny and smart. She was kind to animals and people alike and as far as I knew, she’d been nothing but polite to Dany.

But what the fuck did I know about women? Our argument had escalated quickly. I’d taken Kat’s side. She’d gotten defensive. When Easton had called and told me about the mountain lion, I’d been more than happy to cut the night with Dany short. And I hadn’t minded seeing her taillights drive off my ranch.

If I was being honest with myself, I hadn’t liked her much. She was a bit shallow for my taste. Too soft. We would have eventually killed each other. But I hadn’t dated in a while—a long while—and she was pretty, on the outside. Thankfully, I’d dodged a bullet. Hell, we hadn’t even slept together.

“Sorry,” Katherine whispered. “You liked her.”

“Meh. We only went out twice.”

A crease formed between her eyebrows. “But you brought her to family dinner.”